Aldridges Assemble! Await the return of the prodigal daughter to Ambridge with the rest of The Archers audience

[PseudoBadger]

I can't resist alliteration

I think Roy stopped moping and living under a pile of pizza boxes when he took in the ferrets.

Go phoebe! Shouldn't she have been going to a few open days by now? (Don't know when Oxbridge have theirs but surely she'd be casing out a few others)

I'm wondering who in the village might give Phoebe some practical and moral support towards bar tending her Oxford or Cambridge application. Something's making me think Usha was Birmingham (may well be wrong). Jim strikes me as a St Andrews man. Alistair's too apathetic to care now - wherever he went. Alice ...? Was she at Southampton? We did mention Durham the other day - but perhaps best not to throw her under the scabby lion's paw.

Hope she has decent teachers.

Why is it, after every sentence that comes out of Pip's mouth, she has to do a long intake of breath?? It sounds like she's inhaling on a ciggie. Drives me round the twist.

Brilliant Archers spoof on R4 yesterday morning, can't remember the show. Anyone else hear it?

Alice was at Southampton, and then did her Master's at Felpersham. Adam went to Newcastle. Debbie was at Exeter (for a time).

Usha, Jim, Alistair, Alan, Robert, Kathy - we don't know where they studied, as far as I know.

Roy, Brenda, Pip, Kate - all alumni of that world-leading seat of learning, the University of Felpersham.

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme. Very funny indeed. He's done several which you can find on Youtube.

I mean you can find the Archers spoofs on Youtube - lots of other clips too, no doubt.

Talking of references to TA, yesterday was NBS day.

Many, many thanks for that, R4!

Corporation, can I add to the torture that is Pip's indrawn breaths? My personal bugbears are JennyDarling's invariable prefacing of almost every utterance with a breathy HO!!!!! And Bert's trademark HOOOOO!!!!! If they're ever in a scene together it sounds like a tug-of-war team limbering up for action.

A lot of them seem to be doing an irritating little 'hmm' type noise - I think Charlie started it and it's spread.

Pat and Caroline both do a sort of stutter on "I" at the beginning of a sentence. Just stop!

Horrors, NBS has had a rare foolish moment. Quote:

Is Phoebe: A) a spoilt brat who needs a sharp slap; or B) an independent-minded young woman? Answers on a postcard, please. If you know what a postcard is, you will vote A.

Sorry, Nancy, no! We will vote B. The spoilt brat is, without any doubt at all, Kate.

Biscuit, did you see that NBS has stolen your comparison with Edina and Saffy?

Yes, a bit ageist - and I'm sure Jenny knows what a postcard is and would say B.

Nancy said it first

Wonderful episode.

(Don't find the "promotion" thing at all credible but never mind ...)

Debbie's beautifully timed use of the word "Dad" was mesmerising.

And, for once, Ruth had a painfully valid point.

That's the last we'll here of Debbie I reckon.

Nah - there's the family bbq on Friday to look forward to. She'll be there for that.

I was disappointed in NBS, too. Feebs (should I stop calling her that, now that Hayley has gone?) is neither a brat nor a woman. Allow her to be a teenager, an inbetweener.

Should we be disappointed (that word again!) that Debbie has turned her back on Home Farm? Does she think that Brine will eventually turn it over to Ruarhghrh (male and the fruit of his loins). We have been bemoaning the fate of Ambridge women so I suppose we can't complain.

I can't sympathise with Ruth. She's overegging it. It might be an awful situation but it's not unique, she brought it on herself (whether 'she' is HP and/or Ruth I'm not sure) and it has to be sorted somehow. Doing a metaphorical rending of her clothes isn't going to achieve anything.

Talking of personal ticks, Pip's "uh, OK" annoys me.

It's a tic, not a tick

Re phoebe being able to do her degree and deal with a baby - of course she could. But why put her through it! Can't we just have her having a big standard university and start to career before moving back to abridge to have her life fucked with

I am sure phoebe will have learned from the example of her mother and grandmother, plus have nous from her mum, and not end up with an unplanned pregnancy.

About time Adam had charge of the arable, he's been doing it all for years. Hope Brian doesn't turn nasty - there was an unpleasant undercurrent to his reaction.

Tbf it is still Brian's land isn't it?

Yes, but Adam has put in a lot of work over the years.

I don't really see why shoving HP in a nursing home is the only possible solution. Surely the solution is her coming down to Brookfield, if necessary with some extra outside help?